This invention relates to plasma treatment systems and more particularly, to methods and apparatus relating to a multichamber plasma treatment system.
The manufacture and packaging of electronic components or workpieces such as semiconductors and flat panel displays often takes place within a series of individual processing stations that are designed to perform a specific type of processing operation such as a deposition, an etching, a thermal processing, or a cleaning. Processing systems have been designed in which multiple processing stations are arranged sequentially to form an in-line tool or are positioned in a cluster to form a cluster tool. Plasma treatment chambers are incorporated into processing stations for exposing workpieces to a plasma in preparation for another operation in a successive processing station. A plasma treatment process is used to etch clean or otherwise process or treat a surface of the workpiece. Workpieces are often transferred to and from the plasma treatment chamber via a conveyor, robot or manually; and other workpiece handling devices are used to shuttle the workpieces into and out of a plasma treatment chamber.
While such plasma treatment systems have worked reasonably well in the past. the structure of such systems imposes certain limitations on their operation that limit system efficiency and throughput. One limitation is that only a single plasma treatment chamber is incorporated onto a single machine or base unit. Such a plasma treatment chamber and machine combination has a fixed footprint that consumes a fixed amount of manufacturing floor space. Thus, one disadvantage is that every time additional plasma treatment chambers are added to improve quality or increase throughput, additional manufacturing floor space is required in direct proportion to the number of plasma treatment chambers added. The cost of additional floor space is substantial and may require the construction of an additional structure or building. Another disadvantage arising from limiting a single plasma treatment chamber to a single base or machine is that any savings that may available through the sharing of electric and gas utilities is precluded.
Another limitation in the structure of conventional plasma treatment systems is the limited capabilities of the workpiece handling systems that are currently available. Such workpiece handling systems are relatively bulky and large and make the handling of workpieces, either individually or in bulk, within a small volume extremely difficult.
Therefore, there is a need to substantially improve the number of plasma treatment chambers that are located within a facility utilizing plasma treatment processing. There is a further need to improve the throughput of each machine base or footprint of a plasma treatment system. There is a still further need to provide material handling devices that are more compact and have the ability to handle workpieces, both in bulk and individually, more quickly and efficiently.
The plasma treatment system of the present invention permits the use of multiple plasma treatment chambers on a single machine base. The plasma treatment system of the present invention has a compact footprint that conserves manufacturing floor space, thereby substantially increasing the throughput capability of the utilized floor space and providing a substantial savings in manufacturing costs. Further, each of the multiple plasma treatment chambers on a single base is independently controllable, so that the chambers may be used in a manner deemed most efficient and economical by the user. In addition, the present invention provides improved material handling devices for handling the workpieces both individually and in bulk. Such material handling devices substantially reduce the cycle time of loading and unloading workpieces from the plasma treatment chambers, thereby providing substantial additional cost benefits. Thus, the plasma treatment system of the present invention provides a more reliable, efficient and cost effective plasma treatment process than was previously available.
In accordance with the principles of the present invention and the described embodiments, the present invention provides a plasma treatment system for plasma treating workpieces being carried in slots in a magazine. The plasma treatment system has a base and first and second plasma treatment chambers mounted on the base. A magazine handler moves a magazine to a location adjacent one of the first and second plasma treatment chambers. A workpiece handler transfers a workpiece between the magazine and the one of the plasma treatment chambers.
In another embodiment of the invention, a plurality of workpieces are carried in slots within a magazine for processing within a processing space within a plasma treatment chamber of a plasma treatment system. The plasma treatment system includes a magazine handler for positioning the magazine on a magazine indexer. The magazine indexer is capable of positioning the magazine to a plurality of vertical positions corresponding to vertical positions of the slots. A workpiece translator has a first surface for contacting a first edge of the workpiece in order to move the workpiece with the first surface from a first position outside the plasma treatment chamber to the processing space within the plasma treatment chamber. The workpiece translator further has a second surface for contacting an opposite edge of the workpiece in order to move the workpiece with the second surface from the processing space within the plasma treatment chamber to the first position outside the plasma treatment chamber.
In one aspect of the invention, the plasma treatment system further includes a kicker having an end effector positioned and configured to eject a workpiece from the magazine. In addition, a pinch wheel assembly is positioned and configured to move the workpiece from the magazine to the first position.
In a further embodiment of the invention, a method is provided for handling workpieces to be treated in a plasma treatment system. First, a magazine carrying untreated workpieces in slots is moved from a queuing station to a location adjacent a first of two plasma treatment chambers mounted on a common base. Prior to a plasma treatment process, an untreated workpiece is automatically transferred from a slot in the magazine to a processing space within the first of two plasma treatment chambers. Then after the plasma treatment process, a treated workpiece is automatically transferred from the processing space within the first of two plasma treatment chambers to the slot in the magazine. The above transferring steps are repeated for all of the untreated workpieces in the magazine, and the magazine carrying treated workpieces is automatically moved from the location adjacent the first of two plasma chambers to the queuing station.
In another embodiment of this invention, prior to a plasma treatment process, a workpiece is automatically moved into the plasma treatment chamber by pushing on one edge of the workpiece. Thereafter, after the plasma treatment process, the workpiece is automatically moved out of the plasma treatment chamber by pushing on an opposite edge of the workpiece.